A sailing ship being operated as a tour boat sank in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico's western coast on Friday, October 10.
Marigalante, a vessel in the fleet of local tour operator Pirate Ship Vallarta, suffered water ingress due to a failure of her bilge system while off the coast of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state.
The crew attempted to bring the ship back to port for repairs to be undertaken. However, the malfunction reportedly worsened, and the ship began to slowly submerge while underway.
"From the very first moment, all safety protocols were activated," Pirate Ship Vallarta said in a press release following the incident. "Thanks to the immediate and responsible actions of the crew, all passengers were safely evacuated without risk."
In the same release, the operator thanked local maritime, port and civil protection authorities as well as service providers for their prompt assistance during the incident.
Marigalante was built in 1987 as a replica of Santa Maria, one of the three ships used by explorer Christopher Columbus during his famed 1492 expedition across the Atlantic. She was officially launched in 1992 as part of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America.